Archive for September, 2009

I was sitting here today listening to an old Imeem playlist and Gnarls Barkley came on. Now, I realize they aren’t exactly M.I.A., as Cee-lo has been out and about, most recently with the Goodie Mob reunion. After all, the Odd Couple LP is barely over a year old.

However, with our memories on a short-term kick, it’s easy to forget some artists who come along and disappear quickly again. Blogs like this one contribute to that, but I think we are moving toward a less A.D.H.D. culture on the internets… to a degree.

Either way, I refuse to be part of the problem. So I’d now like to kick off our weekly profile of artists once adorned, but now lost in obscurity. My mission? To locate these people and get some information on where/when we’ll hear them again.

Gnarls Barkley

Last release:The Odd Couple

Last time members were seen: Cee-Lo Green was seen on stage September 20 in Atlanta for the Goodie Mob reunion.

Danger Mouse was most recently producing a collaboration with the band Sparklehorse. The project was never released because EMI and Danger Mouse are believed to have legal issues surrounding its distribution.

Status on label: Still part of the roster of Downtown Records (why would they be dropped anyway?)

A few years ago, MTV started the “Hottest MC’s in the Game” list. If you couldn’t figure out what they do by the title, the network sits around with hip-hop “experts” and others to argue out who the hottest is, and in the process come up with a ranked list.

It was just revealed today that Raekwon has come in at #10. Not a bad choice, but the way rankings are given out is a system that is strikingly similar to another confusing, unscientific ranking system.

I’m talking about the NCAA Football rankings a.k.a. the BCS. TV networks like ESPN have created countless TV shows and even new networks (ESPN U) that revolve around discussing this ambiguous system no one quite has a grip on.

So, this is where I come in. Think of me as a slightly more coherent Lou Holtz. I’ll break down the MTV list in a way college football fans could understand: I’ll explain what team each rapper could be described as.

So who is Raekwon?

(photo credit: AP/ESPN)

University of Miami

For a good part of the 90’s, Miami was a powerhouse. And their players were characters. Flambouyant, confident, and sometimes in trouble with the law or the university, but always winners. Think Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, and Michael Irvin. However, something went wrong in the past decade. The mighty U wasn’t so mighty anymore. No national titles, no bowl games, but everyone knew the name.

Now it’s 2009 and Miami (so far) looks like they could win the ACC and maybe get back in the BCS graces.

Does that sound similar to a certain hip-hop clique that ruled the 90’s? Thought so. The Wu-Tang Clan may as well have been the University of Miami. They ran the 90’s, but most of the members oddly fell into obscurity after experiencing early solo success. It was a big fall for a group of dudes with attitude, flamboyance, endless merchandise, and a video game (remember that?).

However, in the past year, Raekwon’s star has been reborn. Getting caught up in the blog-explosion, Rae dropped new tracks, mixtapes, features, and finally delivered the follow-up to his masterpiece, Only Built for Cuban Linx 2.

I remember a time when going platinum in the first week was the minimum requirement for success. I was a kid then, but I can remember Best Buy building its empire by practically billing itself to my neighborhood as a cheap place to get CDs. It was nothin’ to go in there and come out with a handful.

Things have changed now though. Most people had their mind made up on what they thought of the Blueprint 3 before it was even officially released.

Last week, Kid CuDi sold about 105k in his first week and by the rest of the media’s standards, that’s a success. And it is. He’s a new artist who had to fight the uphill battle of getting the media to care about him. Mr. West’s co-sign didn’t hurt either of course.

Let’s look back at some of this year’s more anticipated releases to see how CuDi’s 105k stacks up.

Rick Ross - Deeper Than Rap158,000 in Week 1
With the 50 Cent beef, Officer Ricky had plenty of publicity to have a strong showing. It’s the lowest opening week numbers of his 3 albums though.

Jim Jones - Pray IV Reign42,818 in Week 1
Jimmy’s efforts to promote this thing on Twitter were admirable, but his major label debut has still yet to hit 100k in sales. Maybe some of that A-rab money should have gone to promo.

Asher Roth - Asleep in the Bread Aisle65,000 in Week 1
He was essentially the first of the “blog generation” to make the full transition to major label life, and considering the money that must have gone into making that album, I have a feeling the suits weren’t thrilled with these numbers.

Jay-Z - Blueprint 3476,000 in Week 1
HOV is out from Def Jam’s grip and had a marketing campaign you couldn’t escape. It’s clear that the days of platinum in a week are dwindling (duhh, Mark)…

No triumphant return really, but hey. It’s been a long couple of months full of technical difficulties and other things you’ll hear about it all over time. All that matters is we’re back now, and regularly. So for those who still check it, I appreciate it more than you know. Hope I didn’t lose too many of you…